Boot to Head Records has become one of the finer punk and hardcore labels in the Christian rock scene. Check that, Boot to Head is one of the best punk and hardcore labels in America, and the reason for that is their insistence on releasing great punk and heavy bands, whether anyone cares or not. For years no one did. Now, nearly everyone does. And their newest compilation release, Lost Lonely Vicious, demonstrates once again why Caleb is one of the best label heads around.
The record delivers thirty-one songs from thirty-one bands from all over the globe, featuring such well-known acts as The Deadlines, Huntingtons, Blamed, One21, and Ballydowse, such up-and-comers as Thee Pirates, Calibretto 13, Shorthanded, and The Colemans, and several unknowns like The Buffys, Happy Unemployed, and Side Walk Slam. The odd thing here is that the best songs on the record are by some of the lesser-known groups.
For instance, the first song on the compilation, Shorthanded's "Evil Has a Name," once again shows that Shorthanded is one of the best, most catchy and technical pop/punk bands in America. Happy Unemployed gives us "Rupert Lloyd," a great Sex-Pistols influenced tune about being happily unemployed. Theme songs may be for wusses, but these guys are great. S. S. Bountyhunter delivers a stunning rendition of the old Bad Brains song, "Regulator." Other great songs include The Buffys (one of the best girl groups in punk rock), Calibretto 13's "Get a Life," Ballydowse's "Bud Morris," The Deadlines' "Go-Go in the Graveyard," Blaster the Rocketman's "I Like Lycanthropy," and others. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that The Huntingtons destroy one of my favourite songs in the past decade of punk- The Muffs' "Big Mouth." On this song, Mikey Huntington sounds a lot like Ben Weasel, confirming the long-held theory that The Huntingtons are, in the best of times, pretty good impersonators.
But still, the songs are amazingly consistent, and listening to this disc reminds me of how much fun and intelligent punk can be. Maybe the production, song-writing, and instrumentation aren't as "artful" as other pop groups, but it's still rock, baby, and when it's done well enough, sometimes that's enough.
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2001Reviewed by Marco PovervestLost Lonely Vicious is a punk rock compilation with 31 bands filling 70 minutes. So, this disc is chock-full of music. I use the word punk in its widest meaning as the music varies from postcore to poppunk, from rock 'n roll influenced punk to ska, from female fronted punk to punkabilly. The essence of all the music can be defined by that one word: Punk. Boot To Head Records captured the sounds…
